Mouth organ



May 28, 1929. l o. FAHRNl A 1,714,663

MOUTH ORGAN 'Filed Nov. 19, 1927 h t l' /p/y/ Zheets S ee O. FAHRNI MOUTH ORGAN 'May 28, 1929.

Filed Nov. `1S), 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 saV Patented May 28, 1929.

PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO FAHRNI, OF LAUFENBURG, SWITZERLAND.

MOUTH ORGAN.

Application filed November 19, 1927, Serial No.

In mouth-organs of known type the sound-tongues are iixed by rivets on plates and tuned in continuous succession to range over a diatonio scale. One can therefore play only in one key on a mouth-organ.

In the mouth-organ, accordingv to the invention, the sound-tongues for playing the tones of the chromatic scale are arranged in radial position on disks which are mounted on at least one shaft and are rotatable. By rotating the disks any sound-tongues canY be adjusted on the sound-slots so that at the blowing desired key.

Several embodiments of the invention arV illustrated, by way of example, in the aecompanying drawing, in which A Fig. 1 is a section on line I-I of Fig. 2, showing a mouth-organ comprising a'lever for rotating the shaft which carries the disks.

Fig. 2 is a side-elevation of Fig. 1 viewed from the right.

Fig. 3 is a section on line III-III of Fig. 1, the casing being omitted.

Fig. 4 shows in top-plan-view, the casing being partly broken away, a mouth-organ comprising keys for rotating the disks.

Fig. 5 is a top-plan-view of Fig. 4.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 show each one of the disks used in the form of construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Fig. 9 shows in side-elevation another form of construction without the casing and comprising sheet-metal-plates serving as keys for rotating the holders for the soundtongues.

Fig. 10 is a top-plan-view of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a section on line XI-XI of Fig. 9.

12 shows 'in side-elevation a holder for the sonne-tongues as shown in Figs. 9 to 11.

Fig. 13 shows in side-elevation a sheetmetal-plate with key.

r1`he mouth-organ according to Figs. 1 to 3 consists of brass-plates 1 which, together with wedges 2, form the air-channels 3, and of a casing 4 with mouth-bars 5*, disks 7 keyed on a shaft G and carrying the soundtongues 8, and of a lever 9 connected to said shaft 6. On the outer side of the end-wall of casing 4 stops 10 to 21 are arranged which serve for adjusting the desired key. The sound-tongues 8 move through the soundslots V2,2, when the disks 7 are being rotatd.

and drawing one may play in anyY 234,470, and in Switzerland November 25, 1326.

The sound-tongues 8 on each disk 7 are tuned in semi-toneand full-tone steps. Every first and third, secondand fourth, fifth and seventh, sixth and eighth sound-tongues 8 of all disks 7, form together each a set one diatonic-scale. I'Vhen, for instance in the position of the lever 9 shown in Fig. 2, the sound-tongues 1 and 3 are being played, the sound-tongues 2 and 4 which are turned to half a sound-step higher will come behind the sound-slots 22, when the lever 9 is being turned towards the stop 11, said soundtongues being sounded at the blowing and drawing by the air-current which moves along the same. According to the adjusting of the disk any other sound-row can be played, it being merely necessary to shift the lever 9 into one of the gaps between the stops 10 t0 21.

In the mouth-organ, shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the disks are rotated by depression of keys. The disks 7 of the mouth-organ are arranged 1n three groups, the first, fourth, seventh and tenth disks 7 form the-Group I. These disks have the shape and size of the disk 7a in Fig. 6, and they are fixed by screws on the shaft 6. The Group II consists of the disks 2, and 8, having the shape and size of the disk 7 b, shown in Fig. 7 and connected with one another by a curved piecey of sheet-metal 23. The Group III is composed of the disks 3, 6 and 9 of the shape and size of the disk 7 C shown in Fig. 8 and connected the one with the others by a sheet-metal-plate 24. The disks of the Groups II and III are loosely mounted on shaft 6. Three keys are provided for operating one group, the keys 25, 26 and 27 for Group I, the keys 28, 29 and 30 for Group II and the keys 31, 32 and 33 for Group III. The movements of these keys are transmitted by levers 34 upon the corresponding disks 7 a, "b and 7 C. Each disk has four sound-tongues, tuned in semi-tonesteps.

By depressing one of the keys 25, 29 or 32 the disks of the corresponding group are rotated such an angle that the sound-tongues 1 and 3, which were in the position shown in Figs. 6 to 8 i. e. in the initial position on the upper sides of the brass-plates 1, are now lying on the lower sides of these brass-plates so that these sound-tongues 1 do no longer serve for blowing butfor drawing,and the sound-tongues 3 do no longer serve for drawing but for blowing.,

When the depressed key is released again,

the corresponding group of sound-tongues- Y being depressed, the soundvtongus 2 and 4 v.of the corresponding groups are'rmoved to the lower sides of the brass-plates l, so that the sound-tongues 4 are now used for blowing and the sound-tongues 2 for drawing.

By depressing the different keys each tone of the chromatic-scale can either be blown or drawn. g

In the form of vconstruction illustrated in Figs. 9 to lltwo shafts 6 are arranged on each of which ten holders 7 for sound-tongues (Fig. l2), carrying each two sound-tongues 8, are loosely mounted. The rotating of the holders 7 is effected by a pressure exerted upon the sheet-rnetal-plate 37, carrying keys 36. Each,sheet-Inetal-plate 37 has twenty incisions 38 (Fig-wl3) correspondingrto the twenty holders 7 of sound-tongues. According to whether `these incisions 38 are-more or less deep, the several holders 7 are more or less Vrotated (Fig. 1l) whereby the sound-tongues 8 are brought in suitable succession into the sound slots. n l

I claim: l; A mouth-organ, comprising in combination with the easing, a shaft journal in said casing, disks mounted on said shaft, andV sound-tongues fixed radially on said disks.

2. A mouth-organ as specified in claim l, comprising in combination with a casing having a mouth piece and a. shaft journaled in said casing, disks with sound-tongues keyed on said shaft, and a lever for rotating said shaft a certain angle, whereby' any desired adjusting of said sound-tongues with regard to said mouth piece for playing a certain key is obtained. l g Y Y 3. A mouth-organ as specified in claim l,

comprising in combination Vwith the shaft,

sound-tongues-cari'ying disks loosely mounted on said shaft,keys, and levers for rotating said disks in order to adjust said soundtongues to a certain scale.

4. A mouth-organ asspeciied in claim l,

comprising in combination a casing, soundplates having sound-slots, a rotatable shaft, and rotatable disks on said shaft which carry sound-tongues to be brought onto the one or other side of said sound-plates according to whether said sound-tongues are to be operated by blowing or by drawing.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

o'rfro FAHRNI. 

